Coordination between wireless audio devices

ABSTRACT

A first Bluetooth audio device paired with a second Bluetooth audio device may coordinate communications between the two BT audio devices. The first Bluetooth audio device may originally communication with the second BT audio device over a first type of Bluetooth connection. When the first Bluetooth audio device determines that the second Bluetooth audio device has left or is close to leaving the range of the first Bluetooth audio device, the first Bluetooth audio device may switch to communicating with the second Bluetooth audio device over a second type of Bluetooth connection or over a wireless mesh network. The first Bluetooth audio device may maintain a Bluetooth connection of the first type with a mobile device regardless of how the first Bluetooth audio device communicates with the second Bluetooth audio device.

BACKGROUND

The following relates generally to wireless communications, and morespecifically to coordination between wireless audio devices.

Wireless communications systems are widely deployed to provide varioustypes of communication content such as voice, video, packet data,messaging, broadcast, and so on. Wireless Personal Area Network (PAN)communications such as Bluetooth communications may allow for shortrange wireless connections between two or more paired wireless devices(e.g., that have established a wireless communication channel or link).

For example, mobile devices such as mobile phones may use wirelesscommunications to exchange data such as audio signals with otherdevices, such as paired audio devices (e.g., wireless earbuds). Althoughthe audio devices may be separate physical entities, for communicationpurposes they may be perceived in certain cases by the mobile phone as asingle device. So a pair of audio devices may communicate with eachother to synchronize their operations and appear as a single interfaceto a phone. But in some scenarios, two audio devices may be out of range(e.g., with each other) even though at least one if not both are stillindependently in range of their serving phone. This may result in a losson synchrony between the audio devices, and a communication break downbetween the audio devices and/or the mobile phone.

SUMMARY

The described techniques relate to improved methods, systems, devices,or apparatuses that support coordination between wireless audio devices.Generally, the described techniques support communication betweenmultiple wireless audio devices when one of the wireless audio devicesleaves the range of the other. For example, when a first wireless audiodevice paired with a second wireless audio device determines that thesecond wireless audio device is nearly out of communication range, oralready out of communication range, the first wireless audio devicemay 1) switch from communicating with the second wireless audio deviceover one type of connection (e.g., a low energy (LE) Bluetooth (BT)connection) to another type of connection (e.g., a type of LE BTconnection with extended range); and/or 2) the first wireless audiodevice may switch to communicating with the second wireless audio deviceover a wireless mesh network.

A method of wireless communication at a first BT audio device isdescribed. The method may include communicating with a mobile device anda second BT audio device over a first type of LE BT connection,determining, based on communicating with the second BT audio device, alink quality for the LE BT connection with the second BT audio device,detecting, while in range of the mobile device and based on the linkquality, that the second BT audio device is out of range of the first BTaudio device or at a distance exceeding a threshold distance from thefirst BT audio device, and switching, based on the detection, fromcommunicating with the second BT audio device over the first type of LEBT connection to communicating with the second BT audio device over a BTlong range connection or over a wireless mesh network.

An apparatus for wireless communication at a first BT audio device isdescribed. The apparatus may include a processor, memory in electroniccommunication with the processor, and instructions stored in the memory.The instructions may be executable by the processor to cause theapparatus to communicate with a mobile device and a second BT audiodevice over a first type of LE BT connection, determine, based oncommunicating with the second BT audio device, a link quality for the LEBT connection with the second BT audio device, detect, while in range ofthe mobile device and based on the link quality, that the second BTaudio device is out of range of the first BT audio device or at adistance exceeding a threshold distance from the first BT audio device,and switch, based on the detection, from communicating with the secondBT audio device over the first type of LE BT connection to communicatingwith the second BT audio device over a BT long range connection or overa wireless mesh network.

Another apparatus for wireless communication at a first BT audio deviceis described. The apparatus may include means for communicating with amobile device and a second BT audio device over a first type of LE BTconnection, determining, based on communicating with the second BT audiodevice, a link quality for the LE BT connection with the second BT audiodevice, detecting, while in range of the mobile device and based on thelink quality, that the second BT audio device is out of range of thefirst BT audio device or at a distance exceeding a threshold distancefrom the first BT audio device, and switching, based on the detection,from communicating with the second BT audio device over the first typeof LE BT connection to communicating with the second BT audio deviceover a BT long range connection or over a wireless mesh network.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wirelesscommunication at a first BT audio device is described. The code mayinclude instructions executable by a processor to communicate with amobile device and a second BT audio device over a first type of LE BTconnection, determine, based on communicating with the second BT audiodevice, a link quality for the LE BT connection with the second BT audiodevice, detect, while in range of the mobile device and based on thelink quality, that the second BT audio device is out of range of thefirst BT audio device or at a distance exceeding a threshold distancefrom the first BT audio device, and switch, based on the detection, fromcommunicating with the second BT audio device over the first type of LEBT connection to communicating with the second BT audio device over a BTlong range connection or over a wireless mesh network.

Some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitorycomputer-readable medium described herein may further includeoperations, features, means, or instructions for transmitting connectionstatus information to the second BT audio device over the wireless meshnetwork based on switching to communicating with the second BT audiodevice over the wireless mesh network.

Some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitorycomputer-readable medium described herein may further includeoperations, features, means, or instructions for receiving a request forconnection status information from the second BT audio device over thewireless mesh network, where transmitting the connection statusinformation may be in response to the request.

In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitorycomputer-readable medium described herein, the connection statusinformation includes information for connecting to the first BT audiodevice or for connecting to the mobile device.

Some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitorycomputer-readable medium described herein may further includeoperations, features, means, or instructions for transmitting anindication to the second BT audio device, based on detecting that thesecond BT audio device may be out of range or at the distance exceedingthe threshold distance, that the first BT audio device may be configuredto interface with the mobile device on behalf of the second BT audiodevice.

Some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitorycomputer-readable medium described herein may further includeoperations, features, means, or instructions for detecting that thesecond BT audio device may be out of range of the first BT audio deviceand notifying the second BT audio device, over the BT long rangeconnection or over the wireless mesh network through at least onedevice, that the first BT audio device may be connected to the mobiledevice.

Some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitorycomputer-readable medium described herein may further includeoperations, features, means, or instructions for establishing the firsttype of LE BT connection with the mobile device, where the first BTaudio device and the second BT audio device maintain separate LE BTconnections of the first type with the mobile device while the second BTaudio device may be out of range of the first BT audio device.

Some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitorycomputer-readable medium described herein may further includeoperations, features, means, or instructions for determining that thesecond BT audio device may be in range of the first BT audio device andswitching to communicating with the second BT audio device over thefirst type of LE BT connection when the second BT audio device may be inrange of the first BT audio device.

Some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitorycomputer-readable medium described herein may further includeoperations, features, means, or instructions for maintaining the firsttype of LE BT connection with the mobile device after switching tocommunicating with the second BT audio device over the BT long rangeconnection or over the wireless mesh network.

In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitorycomputer-readable medium described herein, communicating with the secondBT audio device over the wireless mesh network may include operations,features, means, or instructions for transmitting information intendedfor the second BT audio device to at least one other BT device acting asa relay.

In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitorycomputer-readable medium described herein, determining the link qualitymay include operations, features, means, or instructions for determiningone or more of a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) value, aquantity of retransmissions, or a quantity of packet errors.

In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitorycomputer-readable medium described herein, the first type of LE BTconnection includes 1M PHY or 2M PHY, and where the BT long rangeconnection includes coded PHY.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a wireless communications system configured inaccordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example wireless communications system thatsupports coordination between wireless audio devices in accordance withaspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a process flow that supportscoordination between wireless audio devices in accordance with aspectsof the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a process flow that supportscoordination between wireless audio devices in accordance with aspectsof the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 shows a block diagram 500 of a Bluetooth audio device 505 thatsupports coordination between wireless audio devices in accordance withaspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 shows a diagram of a system including a device that supportspower optimized link quality detection and feedback in accordance withaspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 shows a flowchart illustrating a method that supportscoordination between wireless audio devices in accordance with aspectsof the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A mobile device may communicate with multiple wireless audio devices(e.g., wireless earbuds) over Bluetooth so that the audio devices canoutput audio signals. To work properly together, the audio devices mayexchange control signaling with one another. But in some cases, theaudio devices may be out of range with respect to each other even thoughthey are in range of the mobile device. In such scenarios, the audiodevices may lose connectivity and thus may be unable to effectivelyexchange control information that facilitates tandem operations.

According to the techniques described herein, a paired audio device mayprevent connectivity loss based on or by detecting when its counterpartis going out of range. Based on or upon such a detection, the audiodevices may switch to communicating with its counterpart over a secondcommunication protocol or through a mesh network. For example, the audiodevice may establish a Bluetooth long range connection with itscounterpart audio device and provide control information via theconnection. Or the audio device may communicate control informationthrough (e.g., indirectly) one or more intermediary devicesparticipating in a mesh network. The control information may allow thepair of audio devices to continue to engage with the mobile device andcoordinate their operations despite lost or diminished connectivity,which may improve user experience.

Aspects of the disclosure are initially described in the context of awireless communications system. Example devices and process flowsimplementing the described techniques are then discussed. Aspects of thedisclosure are further illustrated by and described with reference toapparatus diagrams, system diagrams, and flowcharts that relate tocoordination between wireless audio devices.

FIG. 1 illustrates a wireless communications system 100 (e.g., which mayinclude to refer to a wireless personal area network (PAN), a wirelesslocal area network (WLAN), or a Wi-Fi network, among others) configuredin accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. In thepresent example, devices in wireless communications system 100 maysupport Bluetooth communications with one or more paired audio devices115. For example, devices 110 may include cell phones, mobile stations,personal digital assistant (PDAs), other handheld devices, netbooks,notebook computers, tablet computers, laptops, or some other suitableterminology. Audio devices 115 may include Bluetooth devices capable ofpairing with other Bluetooth devices (e.g., such as devices 110), andmay include wireless headsets, speakers, ear pieces, headphones, displaydevices (e.g., TVs, computer monitors), microphones, meters, valves,etc.

Bluetooth communications may refer to a short-range communicationprotocol and may be used to connect and exchange information betweendevices 110 and audio devices 115 (e.g., between mobile phones,computers, digital cameras, wireless headsets, speakers, keyboards, miceor other input peripherals, and similar devices). Bluetooth systems(e.g., aspects of wireless communications system 100) may be organizedusing a master-slave relationship employing a time division duplexprotocol having, for example, defined time slots of 625 mu secs, inwhich transmission alternates between the master device (e.g., a device110) and one or more slave devices (e.g., audio devices 115). In somecases, a device 110 may generally refer to a master device, and an audiodevice 115 may refer to a slave device in a PAN. As such, in some cases,a device may be referred to as either a device 110 or an audio device115 based on the Bluetooth role configuration of the device. That is,designation of a device as either a device 110 or an audio device 115may not necessarily indicate a distinction in device capability, butrather may refer to or indicate roles held by the device in the PAN.

Generally, device 110 may refer to a wireless communication devicecapable of wirelessly exchanging data signals with another device, andaudio device 115 may refer to a device operating in a slave role, or toa short-range wireless device capable of exchanging data signals withthe mobile device (e.g., using Bluetooth communication protocols).Bluetooth systems (e.g., aspects of wireless communications system 100)may be organized using a master-slave relationship employing a timedivision duplex protocol having, for example, defined time slots of 625mu secs, in which transmission alternates between the master (e.g.,device 110) and slave (e.g., audio device 115). In some cases, certaintypes of Bluetooth communications (e.g., such as high quality or highdefinition (HD) Bluetooth) may require enhanced quality of service.

A Bluetooth device may be compatible with certain Bluetooth profiles touse desired services. A Bluetooth profile may refer to a specificationregarding an aspect of Bluetooth-based wireless communications betweendevices. That is, a profile specification may refer to a set ofinstructions for using the Bluetooth protocol stack in a certain way,and may include information such as suggested user interface formats,particular options and parameters at each layer of the Bluetoothprotocol stack, etc. For example, a Bluetooth specification may includevarious profiles that define the behavior associated with eachcommunication endpoint to implement a specific use case. Profiles maythus generally be defined according to a protocol stack that promotesand allows interoperability between endpoint devices from differentmanufacturers through enabling applications to discover and use servicesthat other nearby Bluetooth devices may be offering. The Bluetoothspecification defines device role pairs that together form a single usecase called a profile. One example profile defined in the Bluetoothspecification is the Handsfree Profile (HFP) for voice telephony, inwhich one device implements an Audio Gateway (AG) role and the otherdevice implements a Handsfree (HF) device role. Another example is theAdvanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP) for high-quality audiostreaming, in which one device (e.g., a device 110) implements an audiosource device (SRC) role and another device (e.g., an audio device 115)implements an audio sink device (SNK) role.

For a commercial Bluetooth device that implements one role in a profileto function properly, another device that implements the correspondingrole must be present within the radio range of the first device. Forexample, in order for an HF device such as a Bluetooth headset tofunction according to the Handsfree Profile, a device implementing theAG role (e.g., a cell phone) must be present within radio range.Likewise, in order to stream high-quality mono or stereo audio accordingto the A2DP, a device implementing the SNK role (e.g., Bluetoothheadphones or Bluetooth speakers) must be within radio range of a deviceimplementing the SRC role (e.g., a stereo music player).

The Bluetooth specification defines a layered data transportarchitecture and various protocols and procedures to handle datacommunicated between two devices that implement a particular profile usecase. For example, various logical links are available to supportdifferent application data transport requirements, with each logicallink associated with a logical transport having certain characteristics(e.g., flow control, acknowledgement/repeat mechanisms, sequencenumbering, scheduling behavior, etc.). The Bluetooth protocol stack issplit in two parts: a “controller stack” containing the timing criticalradio interface, and a “host stack” dealing with high level data.

The controller stack is generally implemented in a low cost silicondevice containing the Bluetooth radio and a microprocessor. Thecontroller stack may be responsible for setting up links 130 such asasynchronous connection-less (ACL) links, synchronous connectionorientated (SCO) links, etc. Further, the controller stack may implementlink management protocol (LMP) functions, low energy link layer (LE LL)functions, etc.

The host stack is generally implemented as part of an operating system,or as an installable package on top of an operating system. The hoststack may be responsible for logical link control and adaptationprotocol (L2CAP) functions, Bluetooth network encapsulation protocol(BNEP) functions, service discovery protocol (SDP) functions, etc. Insome cases, the controller stack and the host stack may communicate viaa host controller interface (HCI). In other cases, (e.g., for integrateddevices such as Bluetooth headsets), the host stack and controller stackmay be run on the same microprocessor to reduce mass production costs.For such “hostless systems,” the HCI may be optional, and may beimplemented as an internal software interface.

A link 130 established between two Bluetooth devices (e.g., between adevice 110 and an audio device 115) may provide for communications orservices (e.g., according to some Bluetooth profile). For example, aBluetooth connection may be an extended synchronous connectionorientated (eSCO) link for voice call (e.g., which may allow forretransmission), an ACL link for music streaming (e.g., A2DP), etc. Forexample, eSCO packets may be transmitted in predetermined time slots(e.g., 6 Bluetooth slots each for eSCO). The regular interval betweenthe eSCO packets may be specified when the Bluetooth link isestablished. The eSCO packets to/from a specific slave device (e.g., anaudio device 115) are acknowledged, and may be retransmitted if notacknowledged during a retransmission window. In addition, audio may bestreamed between a device 110 and an audio device 115 using an ACL link(A2DP profile). In some cases, the ACL link may occupy 1, 3, or 5Bluetooth slots for data or voice. Other Bluetooth profiles supported byBluetooth devices may include Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) (e.g.,providing considerably reduced power consumption and cost whilemaintaining a similar communication range), human interface deviceprofile (HID) (e.g., providing low latency links with low powerrequirements), etc.

In some cases, a device may be capable of both Bluetooth and WLANcommunications. For example, WLAN and Bluetooth components may beco-located within a device, such that the device may be capable ofcommunicating according to both Bluetooth and WLAN communicationprotocols, as each technology may offer different benefits or mayimprove user experience in different conditions. In some cases,Bluetooth and WLAN communications may share a same medium, such as thesame unlicensed frequency medium. In such cases, a device 110 maysupport WLAN communications via AP 105 (e.g., over communication links120). The AP 105 and the associated devices 110 may represent a basicservice set (BSS) or an extended service set (ESS). The various devices110 in the network may be able to communicate with one another throughthe AP 105. For example, AP 105 may act as an intermediary for twodevices 110, which may communicate with AP 105 via respectivecommunication links 120. Or two devices 110 may communicate with oneanother directly via communication link 125. In some cases the AP 105may be associated with a coverage area, which may represent a basicservice area (BSA).

Devices 110 and APs 105 may communicate according to the WLAN radio andbaseband protocol for physical and MAC layers from IEEE 802.11 andversions including, but not limited to, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11a,802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11ad, 802.11ah, 802.11ax, etc. In otherimplementations, peer-to-peer connections or ad hoc networks may beimplemented within system 100. AP 105 may be coupled to a network, suchas the Internet, and may enable a device 110 to communicate via thenetwork (or communicate with other devices 110 coupled to the AP 105). Adevice 110 may communicate with a network device bi-directionally. Forexample, in a WLAN, a device 110 may communicate with an associated AP105 via downlink (e.g., the communication link from the AP 105 to thedevice 110) and uplink (e.g., the communication link from the device 110to the AP 105).

In some examples, content (e.g., media content, video content, audiocontent, etc.) exchanged between a device 110 and an audio device 115may originate from a WLAN. For example, in some cases, a device 110 mayreceive audio content from an AP 105 (e.g., via WLAN communications),and the device 110 may then implement the described techniques to relayor pass the audio content to the audio device(s) 115 (e.g., viaBluetooth communications).

In some example, the audio content may be streamed over Bluetooth BasicRate/Enhanced Data Rate (BR/EDR). In BR/EDR, a device 110 maycommunicate exclusively with one of the audio devices 115, whichinterfaces with the device 110 on behalf of the other audio device 115(e.g., audio device 115-a may receive content from device 110, and relayit to audio device 115-b). The audio device 115 responsible forinterfacing with the device 110 may be referred to as the primary audiodevice, and the other audio device 115 may be referred to as thesecondary audio device. Thus, the content may be transmitted from device110 to audio device 115-a over Bluetooth link 130, which may beestablished using a low energy (LE) Bluetooth protocol, such as LE 1MPHY or LE 2M PHY. And then the content may be transmitted (e.g.,relayed) from audio device 115-a to audio device 115-b over link 135,which may be an LE 1M PHY or LE 2M PHY connection.

In other examples, audio content may be streamed using LE isochronous.In LE isochronous, the device 110 may communicate with both audiodevices 115 at the same time.

For example, the device 110 may stream audio content to audio device115-a via Bluetooth link 130-a and stream audio content to audio device115-b via Bluetooth link 130-b. However, the primary audio device 115may be responsible for forwarding control information to the secondarydevice so that the secondary device is able to interact with the mobiledevice (e.g., play audio content from the mobile device or connect tocalls). For example, the primary audio device 115-a may transmit controlinformation to the secondary device 115-b over link 135.

Regardless of which communication protocol is used to convey the audiocontent (e.g., BR/EDR, LE isochronous, or some other protocol), audiodevices 115 may exchange control information between one another tofacilitate a coordinated auditory experience.

However, in some cases, a pair of audio devices 115 may be separated sothat they lose connectivity with one another. Loss of such connectivitymay cause an audio device 115 to lose synchrony with the other audiodevice 115, behave abnormally, or lose the ability to interact with theother audio device and/or device 110.

According to the techniques described herein, one of the audio devices115 (e.g., a primary audio device) may evaluate the quality of link 135and detect when loss of connection is likely, imminent, or has alreadyoccurred (e.g., based on a quantity of packet errors exceeding athreshold). To prevent loss of communication (or to re-establishcommunication), audio device 115-a may establish a connection with audiodevice 115-b using a wireless communication (e.g., BT protocol) withextended range compared to the collapsed link. For example, audio device115-a may switch from communicating with audio device 115-b over a firsttype of wireless connection, which may be a BT connection (e.g., LE 1MPHY or LE 2M PHY), to communicating with audio device 115-b over asecond type of wireless connection, which may be a BT connection (e.g.,BT long range, which may include coded PHY). Alternatively, audio device115-a may communicate with device 115-b through one or more devices(e.g., relay devices) participating in a mesh network.

Although certain aspects of the disclosure are described in the contextof Bluetooth, the techniques described herein are not limited toBluetooth and can be implemented using other types of near fieldcommunication protocols.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example wireless communications system 200 thatsupports coordination between wireless audio devices in accordance withaspects of the present disclosure. Wireless communications system 200may include device 110-a and audio devices 115-c and 115-d, which may beexamples of the respective devices described with reference to FIG. 1.Wireless communications system 200 may also include mesh nodes 205,which may be devices that form part or all of a mesh network.

Wireless device 110-a may initially be connected to both audio devices115, which may in some cases be paired devices (e.g., devices configuredto operate in conjunction with one another). Although shown as wirelessearpieces or earbuds, the audio devices 115 can be any devices capableof rendering audio content, including wireless headsets, speakers,headphones, display devices (e.g., TVs, computer monitors), microphones,etc. Wireless device 110-a may be connected to one or both of the audiodevices 115 via a first type of LE Bluetooth link, such as LE 1M PHY orL1 2M PHY, and may maintain connectivity with the audio devices 115 aslong as they are within coverage area 210. For example, wireless device110-a may interact with the audio device 115 using BR-EDR or LEisochronous techniques while the audio devices are inside coverage area210. As described herein, the term “link” may be interchangeable withthe term “connection.”

The audio devices 115 may also communicate with each other using thefirst type of LE Bluetooth connection. However, the first type of LE BTconnection may have a limited range, which may result in limitedcoverage areas 215 (e.g., primary audio device 115-c may have coveragearea 215-a and secondary audio device may have coverage area 215-b).While the secondary audio device 115-d is in range of the primary audiodevice 115-c (e.g., within coverage area 215), the devices maycommunicate control and/or content information via the first type ofBluetooth connection. When the secondary audio device 115-d moves out ofrange of the primary audio device 115-c, however, the first type of LEBT connection may be lost, or the quality of the link may deteriorate toa level that prevents information sharing.

In one example, the secondary audio device 115-d may move out of rangeof the primary audio device 115-c but remain in range of the device110-a (e.g., two users sharing the audio devices 115 may separate fromeach other but remain within coverage area 210). In such cases, loss ofconnectivity with the primary audio device 115-d may impair the abilityof the secondary audio device 115-d to engage with the device 110-a eventhough the secondary device is still within range of the device 110-a.For example, the secondary audio device 115-d may be prevented fromdecoding packets sent by the device 110-a because the primary audiodevice 115-c is no longer able to provide the secondary audio device115-d with information, such as decoding information (e.g., sequencenumber, encryption key, frequency hopping synchronization (FHS), etc.)over the first type of Bluetooth link.

In another example, the secondary audio device 115-d may lose connectionwith both the primary audio device and the device 110-a (e.g., a usermay carry the device 110-a and primary audio device 115-c away from thesecondary device). In such cases, the secondary audio device 115-d mayattempt to connect to the device 110-a in a primary device capacity whenthe device 110-a comes back into range (e.g., because the secondaryaudio device 115-d is unaware that primary audio device 115-c is alreadyconnected to the device 110-a as the primary device). But an attempt byboth audio devices 115 to operate as the primary device may disruptcommunications until the situation is resolved (e.g., until one of theaudio devices 115 takes on the role of the primary device and the othertakes on the role of the secondary device).

According to the techniques described herein, the primary audio device115-c may detect when the secondary audio device 115-d is at risk ofgoing out of range (e.g., based on the received signal strengthindicator (RSSI) for communications between the audio devices 115), oris already out of range, and take actions to ensure that the primaryaudio device 115-c can communicate with the secondary audio device115-d. For example, the primary audio device 115-c can switch aconnection from the first type of Bluetooth connection (e.g., LE 1M PHYor LE 2M PHY) to a second type of Bluetooth connection (e.g., Bluetoothlong range, such as coded PHY). The second type of Bluetooth connectionmay have an extended range compared to the first type of Bluetoothconnection so that the primary audio device 115-c and the secondaryaudio device 115-d can continue to communicate despite the other adversecondition.

Alternatively, the primary audio device 115-c may additionally oralternatively communicate with the secondary device 115-d via the meshnetwork. For example, the primary audio device 115-c may send controlinformation to the secondary audio device 115-d (e.g., by sending it toan intermediary node, such as mesh node 205-b, which may relay thecontrol information to secondary audio device 115-d). In some cases,multiple mesh nodes 205 may be involved in relaying the controlinformation from the primary audio device 115-c to the secondary audiodevice 115-d.

In some cases, the primary audio device 115-c may determine whichtechnique to use based on one or more factors, including battery life,proximity of mesh nodes, the type of control information to becommunicated, and the connection status of the secondary audio device115-d with respect to the wireless device 110-a. In some cases, theprimary audio device 115-c may switch between the techniques. Forexample, the primary audio device 115-c may use the second type ofBluetooth connection in certain scenarios and use the mesh connection inother scenarios.

Regardless of which technique is used (e.g., switching to a Bluetoothlong range connection or using the mesh network), the informationcommunicated by the primary audio device 115-c may enable the secondarydevice 115-d to continue to operate in coordination with the primaryaudio device 115-c, continue decoding packets from mobile device 110-a,and/or prepare for communications with the primary audio device (ordevice 110-a) when the primary device (or device 110-a) comes back intorange.

As referred to herein, the coverage area of device may refer to the areawithin which the device is able to send and transmit signals to anotherdevice while maintaining a threshold reliability or error rate. Althoughshown with fixed radii, the coverage areas 215 may be semi-static ordynamic based on the current radio conditions and physical surroundings.Accordingly, the primary audio device 115-c may monitor the quality of alink between the primary audio device 115-c and the secondary audiodevice 115-d to determine when the secondary device 115-c is approachingthe edge of coverage area 215-a (e.g., based on distance, link quality,retransmissions, packets errors, RSSI, signal to noise ratio (SNR),and/or other factors or metrics), or has crossed it. The primary audiodevice 115-c may determine that the secondary audio device 115-d is nearthe edge of coverage area 215-a by determining that the secondary audiodevice 115-d is at a distance (from the primary audio device 115-c) thatsatisfies a threshold distance (e.g., a distance that is a fraction ofthe radius of coverage area 215-a).

To determine the distance of the secondary audio device 115-d, theprimary audio device 115-c may, as one example, monitor the receivedsignal strength indicator (RSSI) of communications with the secondaryaudio device 115-d. Additionally or alternatively, the primary audiodevice 115-c may monitor the number of retransmissions between theprimary audio device 115-c and the secondary audio device 115-d.Additionally or alternatively, the primary audio device 115-c maymonitor the number of packet errors received from (or transmitted to)the secondary audio device 115-d. Based on one or more of these metrics,the primary audio device 115-c may determine when the secondary audiodevice 115-d is in danger of losing connectivity and implement thetechniques described herein to preserve the ability to communicate.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a process flow 300 that supportscoordination between wireless audio devices in accordance with aspectsof the present disclosure. In some examples, process flow 300 mayimplement aspects of wireless communications system 100 or 200. Processflow 300 may illustrate operations conducted by an audio device 115. Inthe following description of the process flow 300, the passing ofinformation between audio device 115-e, audio device 115-f, mesh node205-d, and device 110-b may be performed in a different order than theexemplary order shown, or the operations performed by audio device115-e, audio device 115-f, mesh node 205-d, and device 110-b may beperformed in different orders or at different times. In some cases,certain operations may also be omitted from the process flow 300, orother operations may be added to the process flow 300.

At 305, audio device 115-e (e.g., a first audio device, which may beacting in a primary audio device capacity) may exchange Bluetoothsignals with device 110-b over a first type of LE Bluetooth connection.The Bluetooth signals may convey, among other things, audio contentand/or control information. At 310, audio device 115-e may exchangeBluetooth signals with audio device 115-f (e.g., a second audio device,which may be acting in a secondary audio device capacity) over the firsttype of LE Bluetooth connection. In some cases (e.g., in LE isochronousschemes), secondary audio device 115-f may also, at 315, exchangeBluetooth signals with device 110-b over the first type of LE Bluetoothconnection. However, secondary audio device 115-f may rely on controland/or content information from the primary audio device 115-e toproperly interact with audio device 115-e and device 110-b.

At 320, audio device 115-e may determine the quality of the link betweenaudio device 115-e and audio device 115-f. Audio device 115-e maydetermine the quality of the link by evaluating various metricsindicative of the conditions of the link. For example, audio device115-e may determine the RSSI for a quantity of packets received fromaudio device 115-f. Because higher RSSI values indicate better linkconditions, RSSI values lower than a threshold value may indicate toaudio device 115-e that audio device 115-f is approaching the limits ofthe range of audio device 115-e (or has already passed the limits of therange of audio device 115-e).

Additionally or alternatively, audio device 115-e may determine thequantity of retransmissions made during a period of time (e.g., audiodevice 115-e may calculate the number of retransmissions per second), orfor a predetermined number of transmissions (e.g., audio device 115-emay calculate the number of retransmissions per n transmissions).Because higher quantities of retransmissions indicate poor linkconditions, a quantity of retransmissions greater than a threshold mayindicate to audio device 115-e that that audio device 115-f is almostout of range.

Additionally or alternatively, audio device 115-e may determine thequantity of packet errors made during a period of time (e.g., audiodevice 115-e may calculate the number of errors per second), or for apredetermined number of transmissions (e.g., audio device 115-e maycalculate the number of errors per n packets). Because higher quantitiesof errors indicate poor link conditions, a quantity of errors greaterthan a threshold may indicate to audio device 115-e that that audiodevice 115-f is almost out of range.

At 325, audio device 115-e may determine that audio device 115-f is outor range, or nearly out of range (e.g., at a distance exceeding athreshold distance), based on the quality of the link between audiodevice 115-e and audio device 115-f. Accordingly, at 330, audio device115-e may establish a connection with a mesh network (e.g., over thefirst type of LE BT connection or another type of connection) so thataudio device 115-e can continue to communicate with audio device 115-fwhile audio device 115-f is outside, or nearly outside, the range ofaudio device 115-e. Although shown responsible to determining the rangeof audio device 115-f, in some cases, audio device 115-f may establishthe mesh connection prior to determining the range of audio device115-f.

Establishing a mesh connection may refer to the process of establishinga communication link with a mesh node (e.g., mesh node 205-d) that ispart of a mesh network that includes audio device 115-f. Whilecommunicating with audio device 115-f via the mesh network, audio device115-e may maintain the first type of LE BT connection with device 110-band communicate with device 110-b over that connection.

After establishing the mesh connection, audio device 115-e may receive,and audio device 115-f may transmit, a request for information over themesh network at 335. For example, audio device 115-f may transmit therequest for information to mesh node 205-d, which may relay the requestto audio device 115-e. Thus, audio device 115-e may receive a requestfor information (e.g., from at least one intermediary node acting onbehalf of audio device 115-f). In some examples, audio device 115-e mayreceive such a request for information periodically or aperiodically.

At 340, audio device 115-e may transmit information (e.g., connectionstatus information) to audio device 115-f via mesh node 205-d. Forexample, audio device 115-e may transmit information intended for audiodevice 115-f to mesh node 205-d, which may relay the information toaudio device 115-f. The information may be information regarding theconnection status of audio device 115-e relative to device 110-b.

In one example, the information may indicate that audio device 115-ealready has a connection with the device 110-b and that audio device115-e is responsible for interfacing with device 110-b on behalf ofaudio device 115-f. Such information may be helpful when audio device115-f loses connection to device 110-b in addition to losing connectionwith audio device 115-e. This is because without such information, audiodevice 115-f may attempt to connect device 110-b as the primary devicewhen device 110-b comes into range, which may lead to confusion. Thus,such information may be transmitted when audio device 115-e determinesthat audio device 115-f is has lost connection with device 110-b (e.g.,is out of range of device 110-b). Alternatively, such information may betransmitted independent of a determination regarding the connectionbetween audio device 115-f and device 110-b, which may decreaseprocessing and/or communications overhead.

In another example, the information may enable audio device 115-f tocoordinate operations with audio device 115-e, or information thatenables audio device 115-f to decode packets received from device 110-b.For example, the information may indicate a sequence number, encryptionkey, or FHS that facilitates the reception of control and audio contentfrom device 110-b. Thus, audio device 115-f may continue to receivecontent from device 110-b even though audio device 115-f is out of rangeof audio device 115-e.

Although shown as responsive to the request for information, in somecases, audio device 115-e may transmit the information independent of arequest for information. And although described with reference to asingle mesh node 205-d, the techniques described herein can beimplemented using any number of one or more mesh nodes 205.

At 345, audio device 115-f may communicate with audio device 115-e ordevice 110-b based on the information received from audio device 115-e.For example, audio device 115-f may receive packets from device 110-bbased on decoding information received from audio device 115-e. Or audiodevice 115-f may connect to device 110-b in a secondary device capacity,as opposed to a primary device capacity, (or refrain from connecting todevice 110-b at all) based on connection status information from audiodevice 115-e. Additionally or alternatively, audio device 115-f mayrender certain audio content but not other content based on coordinationinformation received from audio device 115-e (e.g., audio device 115-fmay render bass content but not voice content, which may be rendered ataudio device 115-e).

At 350, audio device 115-e may determine that audio device 115-f hasentered into the range of audio device 115-e. For example, audio device115-e may establish a link with audio device 115-f and determine thatthe quality of the link satisfies a threshold. Based on thisdetermination, audio device 115-e may (e.g., at 355) communicate one ormore BT signals with audio device 115-f over the first type of LE BTconnection.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a process flow 400 that supportscoordination between wireless audio devices in accordance with aspectsof the present disclosure. In some examples, process flow 400 mayimplement aspects of wireless communications system 100 or 200. Processflow 400 may illustrate operations conducted by an audio device 115. Inthe following description of the process flow 400, the passing ofinformation between audio device 115-g, audio device 115-h, and device110-c may be performed in a different order than the exemplary ordershown, or the operations performed by audio device 115-g, audio device115-h, and device 110-c may be performed in different orders or atdifferent times. In some cases, certain operations may also be omittedfrom the process flow 400, or other operations may be added to theprocess flow 400. Process flow 400 may include certain aspects ofprocess flow 300, or vice versa.

Prior to 405, audio device 115-g may establish a first type of LE BTconnection (e.g., a 1M PHY or 2M PHY connection) with audio device115-h. Audio device 115-g may also establish a separate connection ofthe first type with device 110-c. Audio device 115-g may use theseconnections to negotiate roles with audio device 115-h and device 110-c.For example, audio device 115-g may form an agreement (e.g., through ahandshake or information sharing procedure) with audio device 115-h anddevice 110-c that audio device 115-g will act as the primary device onbehalf of audio device 115-h.

At 405, audio device 115-g may communicate with device 110-c over thefirst type of LE BT connection between audio device 115-g and device110-c. For example, audio device 115-g may exchange BT signals,including control and data information, with device 110-c. Audio device115-g may maintain the first type of LE BT connection with device 110-cthroughout process flow 400. At 410, audio device 115-g may communicatewith device 115-h over the first type of LE BT connection between audiodevice 115-g and audio device 115-h. For example, audio device 115-g mayexchange BT signals, including control and data information, with audiodevice 115-h. In some cases (e.g., when isochronous communications areat play), audio device 115-h may exchange BT signals with device 110-cover the first type of LE BT connection between audio device 115-h anddevice 110-c.

At 415, audio device 115-g may determine the quality of the linkassociated with the first type of LE BT connection between audio device115-g and audio device 115-h. For example, audio device 115-g maymonitor and evaluate various conditions and parameters indicative of thequality of the link. In some cases, audio device 115-g may quantize thequality of the link. At 420, audio device 115-g may determine that audiodevice 115-h is out of range or nearly out of range. For example, audiodevice 115-g may determine that audio device 115-h is out of range whenthe link quality is below a first threshold. And audio device 115-g maydetermine that audio device 115-h is at a distance greater than athreshold distance when the link quality is above the first thresholdbut below a second threshold.

At 425, audio device 115-g may (e.g., in response to the determinationat 420), release the first type of LE BT connection with audio device115-h and establish a second type of LE BT connection (e.g., a BT longrange connection) with audio device 115-h. Thus, audio device 115-g maycontinue to communicate with audio device 115-g even though audio device115-g is out of range of the first type of LE BT connection. Forexample, at 430, audio device 115-g may receive a request forinformation from audio device 115-h over the second type of LE BTconnection. In response to the request (or independent of a request),audio device 115-g may, at 435, transmit information to audio device115-h. The information may facilitate the operations of audio device115-h and/or facilitate the interactions of audio device 115-h withaudio device 115-g and/or device 110-c.

At 440, audio device 115-g may determine that audio device 115-h is inrange (e.g., within a threshold distance) of audio device 115-g. Audiodevice 115-g may make such a determination based on information frommobile device 110-c (e.g., over the first type of LE BT connection) oraudio device 115-h (e.g., over the second type of LE BT connection). Oraudio device 115-g may make such a determination based on discoverysignals received from and/or transmitted to audio device 115-h. At 445,audio device 115-g may (e.g., in response to the determination at 440)re-establish the first type of LE BT connection with audio device 115-h.Accordingly, at 450, audio device 115-g and audio device 115-h mayexchange BT signals over the first type of LE BT connection.

FIG. 5 shows a block diagram 500 of a Bluetooth audio device 505 thatsupports coordination between wireless audio devices in accordance withaspects of the present disclosure. The Bluetooth audio device 505 may bean example of aspects of an audio device 115 as described herein. TheBluetooth audio device 505 may include a receiver 510, a communicationsmanager 515, and a transmitter 520. The Bluetooth audio device 505 mayalso include a processor. Each of these components may be incommunication with one another (e.g., via one or more buses). TheBluetooth audio device 505 may be referred to as a first Bluetooth audiodevice.

Receiver 510 may receive information such as packets, user data, orcontrol information associated with various information channels (e.g.,control channels, data channels, and information related to coordinatingwireless audio devices). Information may be passed on to othercomponents of the device 505. The receiver 510 may be an example ofaspects of the transceiver 620 described with reference to FIG. 6. Thereceiver 510 may utilize a single antenna or a set of antennas.

The communications manager 515 may communicate with a mobile device anda second BT audio device over a first type of LE BT connection. Thecommunications manager 515 may determine, based at least in part oncommunicating with the second BT audio device, a link quality for the LEBT connection with the second BT audio device. The communicationsmanager 515 may detect, while in range of the mobile device and based atleast in part on the link quality, that the second BT audio device isout of range of the first BT audio device 505 or at a distance exceedinga threshold distance from the first BT audio device 505. And thecommunications manager 515 may switch, based at least in part on thedetection, from communicating with the second BT audio device over thefirst type of LE BT connection to communicating with the second BT audiodevice over a BT long range connection or over a wireless mesh network.

The communications manager 515, or its sub-components, may beimplemented in hardware, code (e.g., software or firmware) executed by aprocessor, or any combination thereof. If implemented in code executedby a processor, the functions of the communications manager 515, or itssub-components may be executed by a general-purpose processor, a DSP, anapplication-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a FPGA or otherprogrammable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discretehardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform thefunctions described in the present disclosure.

The communications manager 515, or its sub-components, may be physicallylocated at various positions, including being distributed such thatportions of functions are implemented at different physical locations byone or more physical components. In some examples, the communicationsmanager 515, or its sub-components, may be a separate and distinctcomponent in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.In some examples, the communications manager 515, or its sub-components,may be combined with one or more other hardware components, includingbut not limited to an input/output (I/O) component, a transceiver, anetwork server, another computing device, one or more other componentsdescribed in the present disclosure, or a combination thereof inaccordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.

The communications manager 515 may be an example of aspects of thecommunications manager 610 as described herein. The communicationsmanager 515 may include a Bluetooth communications manager 525, a linkmanager 530, a range detector 535, and a long range communicationsmanager 540.

The Bluetooth communications manager 525 may communicate with a mobiledevice and a second BT audio device over a first type of LE BTconnection. In some cases, the Bluetooth communications manager 525 mayestablish the first type of LE BT connection (e.g., a 1M PHY or 2M PHYconnection) with the mobile device. The Bluetooth communications manager525 may also establish another connection of the first type with thesecond BT audio device. In some cases, the first BT audio device 505 andthe second BT audio device may maintain separate LE BT connections ofthe first type with the mobile device while the second BT audio deviceis out of range of the first BT audio device. In some cases, theBluetooth communications manager 525 may maintain the first type of LEBT connection with the mobile device after switching to communicatingwith the second BT audio device over the BT long range connection orover the wireless mesh network.

The link manager 530 may determine, based at least in part oncommunicating with the second BT audio device, a link quality for the LEBT connection with the second BT audio device. In some cases,determining the link quality includes determining one or more of an RSSIvalue, a quantity of retransmissions, or a quantity of packet errors.

The range detector 535 may detect, while in range of the mobile deviceand based at least in part on the link quality, that the second BT audiodevice is out of range of the first BT audio device 505 or at a distanceexceeding a threshold distance from the first BT audio device 505. Insome cases, the range detector 535 may detect that the second BT audiodevice is out of range of the first BT audio device 505. In such cases,the long range communications manager 540 may notify the second BT audiodevice, over the BT long range connection or over the wireless meshnetwork through at least one device, that the first BT audio device 505is connected to the mobile device.

In some cases (e.g., after determining that the second BT audio deviceis out of range of the first BT audio device 505), the range detector535 may determine that the second BT audio device is in range of thefirst BT audio device 505. In such cases, the Bluetooth communicationsmanager 525 may switch to communicating with the second BT audio deviceover the first type of LE BT connection when the second BT audio deviceis in range of the first BT audio device 505.

The long range communications manager 540 may facilitate communicationswith the second BT audio device when the second BT audio device is outof range of the first BT audio device 505. In some cases, the long rangecommunications manager 540 may include the Bluetooth communicationsmanager 525. When the range detector 535 detects that the second BTaudio device is out of range of the first BT audio device or at adistance exceeding a threshold distance from the first BT audio device,the long range communications manager 540 may switch, based at least inpart on the detection, from communicating with the second BT audiodevice over the first type of LE BT connection to communicating with thesecond BT audio device over a BT long range connection or over awireless mesh network.

In some cases, the long range communications manager 540 may receive arequest for connection status information from the second BT audiodevice over the wireless mesh network. In some cases, the long rangecommunications manager 540 may transmit connection status information(e.g., information for connecting to the first BT audio device or forconnecting to the mobile device) to the second BT audio device over thewireless mesh network based at least in part on switching tocommunicating with the second BT audio device over the wireless meshnetwork. The connection status information may be transmitted responsiveto or independent of the request.

In some cases, the long range communications manager 540 may transmit anindication to the second BT audio device (e.g., based on detecting thatthe second BT audio device is out of range or at the distance exceedingthe threshold distance) that the first BT audio device 505 is configuredto interface with the mobile device on behalf of the second BT audiodevice. In some cases, the long range communications manager 540 maycommunicate with the second BT audio device over the mesh network bytransmitting information intended for the second BT audio device to atleast one other BT device (e.g., a mesh node) acting as a relay.

Transmitter 520 may transmit signals generated by other components ofthe device. In some examples, the transmitter 520 may be collocated witha 510 in a transceiver module. For example, the transmitter 520 may bean example of aspects of the transceiver 620 described with reference toFIG. 6. The transmitter 520 may utilize a single antenna or a set ofantennas.

FIG. 6 shows a diagram of a system 600 including a device 605 thatsupports power optimized link quality detection and feedback inaccordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The device 605 may bean example of or include the components of BT audio device 505 or anaudio device 115 as described herein. The device 605 may includecomponents for bi-directional voice and data communications includingcomponents for transmitting and receiving communications, including acommunications manager 610, an I/O controller 615, a transceiver 620, anantenna 625, memory 630, and a processor 640. These components may be inelectronic communication via one or more buses (e.g., bus 645).

The communications manager 610 may communicate with a mobile device 110and a second BT audio device 115 over a first type of LE BT connection.The communications manager 610 may determine, based at least in part oncommunicating with the second BT audio device 115, a link quality forthe LE BT connection with the second BT audio device 115. Thecommunications manager 610 may detect, while in range of the mobiledevice 110 and based at least in part on the link quality, that thesecond BT audio device 115 is out of range of the device 605 or at adistance exceeding a threshold distance from the device 605. And thecommunications manager 610 may switch, based at least in part on thedetection, from communicating with the second BT audio device 115 overthe first type of LE BT connection to communicating with the second BTaudio device 115 over a BT long range connection or over a wireless meshnetwork.

I/O controller 615 may manage input and output signals for device 605.I/O controller 615 may also manage peripherals not integrated intodevice 605. In some cases, I/O controller 615 may represent a physicalconnection or port to an external peripheral. In some cases, I/Ocontroller 615 may utilize an operating system such as iOS®, ANDROID®,MS-DOS®, MS-WINDOWS®, OS/2®, UNIX®, LINUX®, or another known operatingsystem. In other cases, I/O controller 615 may represent or interactwith a modem, a keyboard, a mouse, a touchscreen, or a similar device.In some cases, I/O controller 615 may be implemented as part of aprocessor. In some cases, a user may interact with device 605 via I/Ocontroller 615 or via hardware components controlled by I/O controller615.

Transceiver 620 may communicate bi-directionally, via one or moreantennas, wired, or wireless links as described above. For example, thetransceiver 620 may represent a wireless transceiver and may communicatebi-directionally with another wireless transceiver. The transceiver 620may also include a modem to modulate the packets and provide themodulated packets to the antennas for transmission, and to demodulatepackets received from the antennas.

In some cases, the wireless device may include a single antenna 625.However, in some cases the device may have more than one antenna 625,which may be capable of concurrently transmitting or receiving multiplewireless transmissions.

Memory 630 may include RAM and ROM. The memory 630 may storecomputer-readable, computer-executable software 635 includinginstructions that, when executed, cause the processor to perform variousfunctions described herein. In some cases, the memory 630 may contain,among other things, a BIOS which may control basic hardware or softwareoperation such as the interaction with peripheral components or devices.

Processor 640 may include an intelligent hardware device, (e.g., ageneral-purpose processor, a CPU, a microcontroller, an ASIC, an FPGA, aprogrammable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logiccomponent, a discrete hardware component, or any combination thereof).In some cases, processor 640 may be configured to operate a memory arrayusing a memory controller. In other cases, a memory controller may beintegrated into processor 640. Processor 640 may be configured toexecute computer-readable instructions stored in a memory to performvarious functions (e.g., functions or tasks supporting the coordinationof wireless audio devices).

FIG. 7 shows a flowchart illustrating a method 700 that supportscoordination between wireless audio devices in accordance with aspectsof the present disclosure. The operations of method 700 may beimplemented by an audio device or its components as described herein.For example, the operations of method 700 may be performed by acommunications manager as described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6. Insome examples, a device may execute a set of instructions to control thefunctional elements of the device to perform the functions describedbelow. Additionally or alternatively, a device may perform aspects ofthe functions described below using special-purpose hardware.

At 705, the device (referred to as the first BT audio device) maycommunicate with a mobile device and a second BT audio device over afirst type of LE BT connection. The operations of 705 may be performedaccording to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects ofthe operations of 705 may be performed by a Bluetooth communicationsmanager 525 as described with reference to FIG. 5.

At 710, the first BT audio device may determine, based at least in parton communicating with the second BT audio device, a link quality for theLE BT connection with the second BT audio device. The operations of 710may be performed according to the methods described herein. In someexamples, aspects of the operations of 710 may be performed by a linkmanager 530 as described with reference to FIG. 5.

At 715, the first BT audio device may detect, while in range of themobile device and based at least in part on the link quality, that thesecond BT audio device is out of range of the first BT audio device orat a distance exceeding a threshold distance from the first BT audiodevice. The operations of 715 may be performed according to the methodsdescribed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 715 maybe performed by a range detector 535 as described with reference to FIG.5.

At 720, the first BT audio device may switch, based at least in part onthe detection, from communicating with the second BT audio device overthe first type of LE BT connection to communicating with the second BTaudio device over a BT long range connection or over a wireless meshnetwork. The operations of 720 may be performed according to the methodsdescribed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 720 maybe performed by a long range communications manager 540 as describedwith reference to FIG. 5.

It should be noted that the method described above describes possibleimplementations, and that the operations and the steps may be rearrangedor otherwise modified and that other implementations are possible.

Techniques described herein may be used for various wirelesscommunications systems such as code division multiple access (CDMA),time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access(FDMA), orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA), singlecarrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA), and other systems.The terms “system” and “network” are often used interchangeably. A codedivision multiple access (CDMA) system may implement a radio technologysuch as CDMA2000, Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA), etc.CDMA2000 covers IS-2000, IS-95, and IS-856 standards. IS-2000 Releasesmay be commonly referred to as CDMA2000 1×, 1×, etc. IS-856 (TIA-856) iscommonly referred to as CDMA2000 1×EV-DO, High Rate Packet Data (HRPD),etc. UTRA includes Wideband CDMA (WCDMA) and other variants of CDMA. Atime division multiple access (TDMA) system may implement a radiotechnology such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM). Anorthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) system mayimplement a radio technology such as Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB),Evolved UTRA (E-UTRA), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE802.20, Flash-OFDM, etc.

The wireless communications system or systems described herein maysupport synchronous or asynchronous operation. For synchronousoperation, the stations may have similar frame timing, and transmissionsfrom different stations may be approximately aligned in time. Forasynchronous operation, the stations may have different frame timing,and transmissions from different stations may not be aligned in time.The techniques described herein may be used for either synchronous orasynchronous operations.

The downlink transmissions described herein may also be called forwardlink transmissions while the uplink transmissions may also be calledreverse link transmissions. Each communication link describedherein—including, for example, wireless communications system 100 ofFIG. 1—may include one or more carriers, where each carrier may be asignal made up of multiple sub-carriers (e.g., waveform signals ofdifferent frequencies).

The description set forth herein, in connection with the appendeddrawings, describes example configurations and does not represent allthe examples that may be implemented or that are within the scope of theclaims. The term “exemplary” used herein means “serving as an example,instance, or illustration,” and not “preferred” or “advantageous overother examples.” The detailed description includes specific details forthe purpose of providing an understanding of the described techniques.These techniques, however, may be practiced without these specificdetails. In some instances, well-known structures and devices are shownin block diagram form to avoid obscuring the concepts of the describedexamples.

In the appended figures, similar components or features may have thesame reference label. Further, various components of the same type maybe distinguished by following the reference label by a dash and a secondlabel that distinguishes among the similar components. If just the firstreference label is used in the specification, the description isapplicable to any one of the similar components having the same firstreference label irrespective of the second reference label.

Information and signals described herein may be represented using any ofa variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, data,instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chipsthat may be referenced throughout the above description may berepresented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magneticfields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combinationthereof.

The various illustrative blocks and modules described in connection withthe disclosure herein may be implemented or performed with ageneral-purpose processor, a DSP, an ASIC, an FPGA or other programmablelogic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardwarecomponents, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functionsdescribed herein. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor,but in the alternative, the processor may be any conventional processor,controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also beimplemented as a combination of computing devices (e.g., a combinationof a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or moremicroprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other suchconfiguration).

The functions described herein may be implemented in hardware, softwareexecuted by a processor, firmware, or any combination thereof. Ifimplemented in software executed by a processor, the functions may bestored on or transmitted over as one or more instructions or code on acomputer-readable medium. Other examples and implementations are withinthe scope of the disclosure and appended claims. For example, due to thenature of software, functions described above may be implemented usingsoftware executed by a processor, hardware, firmware, hardwiring, orcombinations of any of these. Features implementing functions may alsobe physically located at various positions, including being distributedsuch that portions of functions are implemented at different physicallocations. Also, as used herein, including in the claims, “or” as usedin a list of items (for example, a list of items prefaced by a phrasesuch as “at least one of” or “one or more of”) indicates an inclusivelist such that, for example, a list of at least one of A, B, or C meansA or B or C or AB or AC or BC or ABC (i.e., A and B and C). Also, asused herein, the phrase “based on” shall not be construed as a referenceto a closed set of conditions. For example, an exemplary step that isdescribed as “based on condition A” may be based on both a condition Aand a condition B without departing from the scope of the presentdisclosure. In other words, as used herein, the phrase “based on” shallbe construed in the same manner as the phrase “based at least in parton.”

Computer-readable media includes both non-transitory computer storagemedia and communication media including any medium that facilitatestransfer of a computer program from one place to another. Anon-transitory storage medium may be any available medium that can beaccessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer. By way ofexample, and not limitation, non-transitory computer-readable media cancomprise RAM, ROM, electrically erasable programmable read only memory(EEPROM), compact disk (CD) ROM or other optical disk storage, magneticdisk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any othernon-transitory medium that can be used to carry or store desired programcode means in the form of instructions or data structures and that canbe accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer, or ageneral-purpose or special-purpose processor. Also, any connection isproperly termed a computer-readable medium. For example, if the softwareis transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using acoaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line(DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave,then the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digitalsubscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio,and microwave are included in the definition of medium. Disk and disc,as used herein, include CD, laser disc, optical disc, digital versatiledisc (DVD), floppy disk and Blu-ray disc where disks usually reproducedata magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically with lasers.Combinations of the above are also included within the scope ofcomputer-readable media.

The description herein is provided to enable a person skilled in the artto make or use the disclosure. Various modifications to the disclosurewill be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the genericprinciples defined herein may be applied to other variations withoutdeparting from the scope of the disclosure. Thus, the disclosure is notlimited to the examples and designs described herein, but is to beaccorded the broadest scope consistent with the principles and novelfeatures disclosed herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for wireless communication at a firstBluetooth (BT) audio device, comprising: communicating with a mobiledevice and a second BT audio device over a first type of low energy (LE)BT connection; determining, based at least in part on communicating withthe second BT audio device, a link quality for the LE BT connection withthe second BT audio device; detecting, while in range of the mobiledevice and based at least in part on the link quality, that the secondBT audio device is outside a range of the first BT audio device or at adistance exceeding a threshold distance from the first BT audio device;switching, based at least in part on the detection, from communicatingwith the second BT audio device over the first type of LE BT connectionto communicating with the second BT audio device over a BT long rangeconnection or over a wireless mesh network; determining, whilecommunicating with the second BT audio device over the BT long rangeconnection or the wireless mesh network and wherein the first BT audiodevice and the second BT audio device maintain separate LE BTconnections of the first type with the mobile device, that the second BTaudio device has re-entered the range of the first BT audio device; andswitching from communicating with the second BT audio device over the BTlong range connection or over the wireless mesh network to communicatingwith the second BT audio device over the first type of LE BT connectionbased at least in part on determining that the second BT audio devicehas re-entered the range of the first BT audio device.
 2. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising: transmitting connection status informationto the second BT audio device over the wireless mesh network based atleast in part on switching to communicating with the second BT audiodevice over the wireless mesh network.
 3. The method of claim 2, furthercomprising: receiving a request for connection status information fromthe second BT audio device over the wireless mesh network, whereintransmitting the connection status information is in response to therequest.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the connection statusinformation comprises information for connecting to the first BT audiodevice or for connecting to the mobile device.
 5. The method of claim 1,further comprising: transmitting an indication to the second BT audiodevice, based on detecting that the second BT audio device is outsidethe range or at the distance exceeding the threshold distance, that thefirst BT audio device is configured to interface with the mobile deviceon behalf of the second BT audio device.
 6. The method of claim 1,further comprising: detecting that the second BT audio device is outsidethe range of the first BT audio device; and notifying the second BTaudio device, over the BT long range connection or over the wirelessmesh network through at least one device, that the first BT audio deviceis connected to the mobile device.
 7. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: maintaining the first type of LE BT connection with themobile device after switching to communicating with the second BT audiodevice over the BT long range connection or over the wireless meshnetwork.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein communicating with the secondBT audio device over the wireless mesh network comprises: transmittinginformation intended for the second BT audio device to at least oneother BT device acting as a relay.
 9. The method of claim 1, whereindetermining the link quality comprises: determining one or more of areceived signal strength indicator (RSSI) value, a quantity ofretransmissions, or a quantity of packet errors.
 10. The method of claim1, wherein the first type of LE BT connection comprises 1M PHY or 2MPHY, and wherein the BT long range connection comprises coded PHY.
 11. Afirst Bluetooth (BT) audio device for wireless communication,comprising: a processor; memory in electronic communication with theprocessor; and instructions stored in the memory and executable by theprocessor to cause the first BT audio device to: communicate with amobile device and a second BT audio device over a first type of lowenergy (LE) BT connection; determine, based at least in part oncommunicating with the second BT audio device, a link quality for the LEBT connection with the second BT audio device; detect, while in range ofthe mobile device and based at least in part on the link quality, thatthe second BT audio device is outside a range of the first BT audiodevice or at a distance exceeding a threshold distance; switch, based atleast in part on the detection, from communicating with the second BTaudio device over the first type of LE BT connection to communicatingwith the second BT audio device over a BT long range connection or overa wireless mesh network; determine, while communicating with the secondBT audio device over the BT long range connection or the wireless meshnetwork and wherein the first BT audio device and the second BT audiodevice maintain separate LE BT connections of the first type with themobile device, that the second BT audio device has re-entered the rangeof the first BT audio device; and switch from communicating with thesecond BT audio device over the BT long range connection or over thewireless mesh network to communicating with the second BT audio deviceover the first type of LE BT connection based at least in part ondetermining that the second BT audio device has re-entered the range ofthe first BT audio device.
 12. The first BT audio device of claim 11,further comprising instructions executable by the processor to cause thefirst BT audio device to: transmit connection status information to thesecond BT audio device over the wireless mesh network based at least inpart on switching to communicating with the second BT audio device overthe wireless mesh network.
 13. The first BT audio device of claim 12,further comprising instructions executable by the processor to cause thefirst BT audio device to: receive a request for connection statusinformation from the second BT audio device over the wireless meshnetwork, wherein the connection status information is transmitted inresponse to the request.
 14. The first BT audio device of claim 11,further comprising instructions executable by the processor to cause thefirst BT audio device to: transmit an indication to the second BT audiodevice, based on detecting that the second BT audio device is outsidethe range or at the distance exceeding the threshold distance, that thefirst BT audio device is configured to interface with the mobile deviceon behalf of the second BT audio device.
 15. The first BT audio deviceof claim 11, further comprising instructions executable by the processorto cause the first BT audio device to: detect that the second BT audiodevice is outside the range of the first BT audio device; and notify thesecond BT audio device, over the BT long range connection or over thewireless mesh network through at least one device, that the first BTaudio device is connected to the mobile device.
 16. A first Bluetooth(BT) audio device, comprising: means for communicating with a mobiledevice and a second BT audio device over a first type of low energy (LE)BT connection; means for determining, based at least in part oncommunicating with the second BT audio device, a link quality for the LEBT connection with the second BT audio device; means for detecting,while in range of the mobile device and based at least in part on thelink quality, that the second BT audio device is outside a range of thefirst BT audio device or at a distance exceeding a threshold distance;means for switching, based at least in part on the detection, fromcommunicating with the second BT audio device over the first type of LEBT connection to communicating with the second BT audio device over a BTlong range connection or over a wireless mesh network; means fordetermining, while communicating with the second BT audio device overthe BT long range connection or the wireless mesh network and whereinthe first BT audio device and the second BT audio device maintainseparate LE BT connections of the first type with the mobile device,that the second BT audio device has re-entered the range of the first BTaudio device; and means for switching from communicating with the secondBT audio device over the BT long range connection or over the wirelessmesh network to communicating with the second BT audio device over thefirst type of LE BT connection based at least in part on determiningthat the second BT audio device has re-entered the range of the first BTaudio device.